Most frustrating season

[freeboro]

(Don't take this as whining, I'm just venting to a bunch of fellow archers who've been there before...)

Our season ends Saturday, due to work and other commitments, I'll be doing good to get out anymore. Maybe for a half hour tonight, and a couple hours Saturday if I'm lucky.

Unless I get a miracle, last minute deer, this is my 3rd season in a row that I've not filled any tags in archery. Mind you, I don't pass mature does if I have a valid tag in my pocket and all 3 years I have. So this isn't a lack of buck tags being filled, it's a lack of deer tags being filled.

I thought switching things up and going beast style this year would be ticket but I'm a realist and know that nothing is guaranteed. I bought a hang on and sticks and changed up my hunting techniques. I began thinking about my entrance and exit strategies. I played the wind more then ever. I hunted more properties and more locations on established properties then ever. In fact, I only hunted what could be considered the same stand (about 50 yards apart because of what I learned on the first sit) once all year. I went where I don't believe others would on the public ground. I searched for the freshest sign and hung and hunted when I found it.

All of that, most of which I didn't do before, netted me less then a dozen sightings on stand. Of those, 5 were bucks, one a shooter. I never had a doe in range, which is the most frustrating piece.

I did learn a bunch though, and that'll hopefully pay off down the road. I know this style of hunting isn't easy to master, and that it's a marathon, not a sprint. I had a good time bouncing around, and was confident in most of my setups, and a couple times things DID work out like they should've save for a kill. For instance, one night I went blind into a property I'd e-scouted and set up along a transition as soon as I found fresh sign (fresh droppings on a faint trail with a freshly rubbed and snapped off tree next to a small thicket that was on the downwind side of small slope on otherwise flat ground). Just before dark, a 7 point stood up from it's bed on the downwind edge of that thicket, exactly where he should've been for that wind. A couple sits later, I had a shooter 8-9 point come in to 15 yards (but was always facing me or quartering to me) as he did a downwind J-hook coming directly to my tree. After climbing down, I took a step back to see if I'd missed anything while packing up and noticed the faint bed right at the base of my tree. Exactly where he should've been bedded given the wind (downwind side of a thicket, facing into open woods). I found beds where I expected to hunting the hill country back home.

I just really expected more from my season and now it's all but over and I have all of my tags still. Like I said, I'm just venting, feel free to join in. LOL

[cbay]

Things are different now because of location and deer numbers, but i've been there and know how frustrating it can be. It sounds like you had some good hunts though. Hang in there. If you were closer i would gladly put you on some good areas.

[dan]

You made a good effort... You can feel good about that. As with anything, your going to keep improving if you keep trying... Instead of getting pissed, you should look back at the season and think about what worked, and what failed, and always look forward.
Those who can recognize whats broke and fix it, as well as recognize what works and replicate it, within there system, will continue to grow as a hunter...
I took it as a positive post, but a frustrated one... Don't let the frustration win.

There is a saying that goes something like this:

Its not size of the dog in a fight, but rather the fight inside the dog that matters

Let the failure drive you to scout hard this spring/winter and have as many awesome spots set up for next year as you can...

[freeboro]

Yeah, obviously I'm a bit pissed about it, I put in a lot of time (relative to what my work schedule and family allow) with no meat in the freezer to show for it, but I did learn a bunch and did enjoy this style.

Last week I spent 30 some hours in 3 days in a tree or moving between locations. I hunted 3 counties entailing 8 stand locations of which only 3 were presets that I hadn't hunted all season. Throughout the season I hunted 7 different properties (one of which is thousands of acres and I hunted several locations on it). I've never bounced around like that and it was a pleasure to do so. I felt more at home and safer in my hang-on then even on my presets.

I got pretty good at hang and hunts, learned my new equipment, made a few tweaks and can see myself making a few more to aid in silence while setting up, safety, and comfort.

As for the hunting itself, more scouting is definitely required, and as always, more property to access.

[fishlips]

Stick with it. Sounds like you are making progress.

From my experience, hunting like this is not easy, especially when you aren't getting the ultimate reward. It took me three years of changing my tactics until I finally scored a buck. The thing that kept me going was that my big buck sightings increased. There were and still are plenty of deerless sits, but every time out I think I have a chance.

Stick with it. The reward is 100% worth it.

[ Post made via Android ]

[fishlips]

Just a thought but one thing that has burned me a bit in the past was bouncing around too much. I have spread myself pretty thin in the past scouting too many properties. A lot of the public in my area has at least a few solid bedding areas. But I was in the mentality that there was always something better at the next property.

Looking back I think I would have been better off scouting 3-5 properties really well over the past 3 or 4 years than rushing through 10 or 15. Started to change my approach now and will assess the results as I go.

[ Post made via Android ]

[admiral04]

I have to second freeboros frustration. He and I live in the same area and although I have had more sightings, I too have lack of mature buck sightings. I have grown as a hunter for sure and tried to recognize things I can improve and thats what truly matters but it is a tough, over pressured area with far fewer mature bucks. Which just means a good one will be that much more of a trophy but it is difficult sometimes not to let the frustration win. Thank god for the moral support here on the forum. That said, if any of you more experienced beast hunters would ever like to try your hand in Northwest Pa, contact me. Ill provide lodging at my place,etc. maybe you can teach me some things.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[briar]

I have to second freeboros frustration. He and I live in the same area and although I have had more sightings, I too have lack of mature buck sightings. I have grown as a hunter for sure and tried to recognize things I can improve and thats what truly matters but it is a tough, over pressured area with far fewer mature bucks. Which just means a good one will be that much more of a trophy but it is difficult sometimes not to let the frustration win. Thank god for the moral support here on the forum. That said, if any of you more experienced beast hunters would ever like to try your hand in Northwest Pa, contact me. Ill provide lodging at my place,etc. maybe you can teach me some things.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Yeah!! and I want to come and watch and learn!!

[freeboro]

As do I!

[AttackMode]

I'm also a Pa guy but I try my hand on public land. I've been there. I know the feeling of frustration and feeling squashed. We wait all year for this and then before we know it...it's gone. We have a short season and that certainly doesn't help. But we still can hunt with a bow during rifle and after xmas we've got out late season. They may not be the same as hunting the rut or early archery but if you know your stuff it's definitely a chance. And a chance is all we need. Anything can happen at anytime for no reason. Get out there however you can for these last few days and give it your best shot. Also i agree with fishlips I would try to narrow down the properties to a few and go from there. Spreading yourself out too thin could be the issue.

[iowa whitetail]

Everything is difficult before it becomes easy. Good luck

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

I was looking over my journal today... I hunt mostly very pressured property, most of which is public. I did 38 hunts so far... That netted 1 doe, 2 bucks killed, and one missed... If you get a chance, read my journal... 3 chances at shooter bucks in 38 days of hunting... Now, add up how many days you hunted. I have about 1 in 12 odds this year so far.

Now, last year I spent about 7 days on a private managed farm... I passed several bucks each day I would not hesitate to shoot on public. Odds were over 100%... Where you are hunting is the biggest factor relative to success.

[Beartown18]

Hang in there, when you get it done it will be that much sweeter.

[checkerfred]

I was looking over my journal today... I hunt mostly very pressured property, most of which is public. I did 38 hunts so far... That netted 1 doe, 2 bucks killed, and one missed... If you get a chance, read my journal... 3 chances at shooter bucks in 38 days of hunting... Now, add up how many days you hunted. I have about 1 in 12 odds this year so far.

Now, last year I spent about 7 days on a private managed farm... I passed several bucks each day I would not hesitate to shoot on public. Odds were over 100%... Where you are hunting is the biggest factor relative to success.

WOW, that really puts things into perspective Dan...thanks for that. I feel exactly like Freeboro and was about to actually make a very similar post. I'm new to the beast style and I'm trying to learn as much and apply as much as I can. My problem, this is all so new, I never feel confident in my setups. Part of my problem is, I'm just not finding the beds. I feel like I'm missing something key but not sure what. I'm either missing the sign because it's so faint or I'm not looking in the right place. I have only found maybe two beds that I can for sure say a buck has bedded there. I've stalked up on a doe bedded and the beds I've found and the deer I've seen bedded are just like you teach, on the down wind side of the ridge. I think I have busted some deer out trying to hunt bedding on the ridges too. I'm still trying to figure out how close I need to be and how to get in. It's very very frustrating. Part of the frustration comes from this new found beast knowledge but not being able to apply it like you guys....and now that I know it, I can't go back to being the newbie hunter that just sets up somewhere and gets lucky now and then in the rut. It's like the more you know, the harder it is.

Our season is really just getting started. The forest land I'm hunting has rut coming up in a few weeks, then the other areas I hunt its later. I can hunt the rut from basically Dec. to Jan. So i'm optimistic.

[fishlips]

Hang in there, when you get it done it will be that much sweeter.

X2. And after a little success you want it even more.

Only warning is to not put too much pressure on yourself. I have had times where it wasn't fun anymore and that is no good.

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